VAT on groceries reduced: How to check your weekly shopping

Since July 1st, a lower tax rate has applied to selected staple foods in Austria. These include bread, milk, eggs, butter, pasta, rice, flour, and some local fruit and vegetable varieties. For households, this is no reason to shop more aimlessly. A quick weekly shopping check is more sensible: What really costs less, what is already at home, and which offers only lead to full cupboards?

According to Parliament, the measure is intended to relieve the burden on households. Whether you notice this in everyday life, however, depends heavily on your shopping behavior. Those who compare base prices, briefly check receipts, and throw away less usually get more out of it than with a spontaneous big shopping trip.

What changes for shopping

The lower tax rate does not automatically apply to the entire shopping basket. It applies to selected food items. Therefore, you should not assume across the board that everything will be cheaper when shopping. The decisive factor is the price on the shelf and on the receipt.

In practical terms, this means: For regularly purchased products, it is worth taking a quick look at the unit price and the base price per kilogram or liter. Especially with pasta, rice, flour, dairy products, and eggs, prices are easy to compare because many households buy them again and again.

Briefly check the receipt

No one has to do bookkeeping after every shopping trip. For the first few weeks after the change, a simple test is enough: Keep two to three receipts and mark products you buy frequently. Compare not only the final price but also the pack size and base price. A smaller pack can be more expensive despite an eye-catching promotional sign.

• Look at the base price: Compare the price per kilogram or liter, not just the pack price.
• Check pack size: If there is less content in the pack, a price advantage quickly seems larger than it is.
• Compare private label vs. brand: Do not automatically take the promotion, but check the actual need.
• Keep the receipt: For staple products, you can see after two to three shopping trips whether something has actually changed.

Start at home before shopping

The best savings step happens not in the supermarket, but at your front door. Take a quick look in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. What needs to go first? What is really missing? What is already there twice?

The BMLUK points out in tips against food waste that planned shopping can save time and money. For everyday life, a small list with three columns is enough: "I need", "must go soon", and "do not buy". Especially with staple foods, this prevents rice, pasta, or flour from being bought multiple times while fresh food spoils.

Avoid promotional traps

When certain foods seem cheaper, people quickly buy more. This is only worth it if the quantity is really consumed and there is space for it at home. Stockpiling makes sense for durable products, but not for everything that spoils quickly.

For fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and bread, less is often better. It is better to buy small quantities more often or process them quickly. For seasonal fruit, for example, the article Storing apricots correctly fits. For hot days, Storing food correctly in heat.

A simple weekly shopping routine

1. Check supplies and fridge.
2. Roughly plan three to five meals.
3. Write a short shopping list.
4. Compare the base price for staple foods.
5. Keep the receipt for staple products.
6. Plan leftovers directly for the next day.

This sounds banal, but it is effective. Anyone who eliminates just one or two avoidable bad purchases each week often saves more than through a single promotion. In addition, less food ends up in the trash.

What can be bought well in stock

Durable staple foods like rice, pasta, or flour can be useful to stock up on if they are stored dry, clean, and well-sealed. However, only buy quantities that will realistically be consumed. An overfilled pantry quickly leads to things being bought twice or forgotten at the back.

For fresh food, planning is more important than quantity. Bread can be frozen in portions, ripe fruit can be processed into compote, roasted fruit, or smoothies, and vegetables often fit into soup, a pan, or an oven dish. For prepared meals, Meal prep for beginners can help here.

Quick check for the next shopping trip

• Which staple foods do I buy every week?
• Do I still have supplies of these?
• Is the base price really cheaper?
• Does the pack size fit my household?
• Can I consume fresh goods in time?
• Which leftovers are planned first?

The tax cut can provide relief. In the household, however, the routine decides: write a list, check base prices, use up leftovers, and do not buy more than is really needed.

Read also

• Storing apricots correctly: saving, freezing, and using ripe fruits
• Storing food properly in the heat: Fridge check for hot days
• Meal prep for beginners: 7 dishes that keep well for 4 days
• Organic waste in heat: Avoid odors and maggots in the kitchen and organic waste bin

Sources and further information

• Parliament Austria: Four laws that apply from July
• BMF: VAT reduction on selected food items
• BMLUK: Tips for shopping
• BMLUK: Tips against food waste
• Chamber of Labour Upper Austria: Easily find low-priced products

Article image: AI-generated symbolic image.